Do you remember back in 2006 when this set was known as 7779 The Batman Dragster: Catwoman Pursuit? Stop. Don’t answer that. It’s a trick question. This set is not 7779. It can’t be. There’s no dragster. No, instead, 6858 Catwoman Catcycle City Chase (say that five times fast) comes with a traffic light and three fewer pieces. And a $12.99 price tag. I wanted to like this set. I thought it would fill the hole in my brick-loving heart left by missing out on 7779. I thought wrong.

Excuse my over-dramatic opening paragraph. I suppose when most of the sets in the initial DC Universe Super Heroes sets are mediocre remakes, I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Not to say I was hoping a retread of 7779, which I didn't think was all that great to begin with. I admit, I was mostly interested in the minifigures. 6858 contains roughly as many pieces (89) as a Star Wars battlepack, yet contains half as many figures. Where is the substance?

Is it Catwoman with her purple motorcycle (er, catcycle)? It looks similar to 7779's catcycle, though with a notable improvement. It’s slightly more cat-like, sleeker, with a curved slope representing a tale and that’s about it. The bike is still made up of a few bulky pieces. Catwoman's whip’s also been updated to the new style, which would've been better in black to match the motif. Catwoman herself has been slightly updated as well. I dig the purple lipstick. Mee-ow.

Is it Batman with his jet pack (or bat pack)? It’s cool, looks neat, designed not to fall over, and may be the best part of the set until you realize that if you take it off Batman has no cape. Really. Also, I’m beginning to suspect Batman may be daylighting as Superman, or it might be the other way around. We’re getting into dangerously confusing territory here. Is it so much to ask for better differentiation in the faces of these prominent Super Heroes?

Is it the traffic light? It's not a bad traffic light at a glance. It features one of the set's signature play features, the "falling" light. Too bad it's not complete unless this is a three way street. And what is that blue thing supposed to be? A mail box? A recycling bin? You can't put anything into it. There is no clear answer and my imagination hurts.

Is it boxes? I guess I’m supposed to crash Catwoman into them and then throw newspapers at her. Bad kitty. I would have rather had new dragster or a bat pod.

Pros:+Another opportunity to get Catwoman for those who missed out the first time around. She's even better the second time around.
+Blue-cowled Batman and his batwings and jet pack. He’s highly swooshable, though arguably less swooshable than Superman.
+Varied part selection, surprisingly so for a small set.

Cons:-The set lacks substance and tries to make up for it with filler. Boxes, a blue thing, and an
-Incomplete traffic light. Yes, LEGO, you could have included four more pieces to complete the stoplight (this is admittedly a very easy at home fix).
-No cape. This is unforgivable. Batman already looks ridiculous with his enormous cowl, which the cape helps to offset. Without it he looks doubly ridiculous. Are we expected to leave the batwings on?

Verdict:It’s hard to say “get this set." Don’t buy this for the MSRP of $12.99 if you can avoid it. The part selection is decent and it's the cheapest way to get Batman at the moment, but for the price, there isn’t anything in this set that screams "must have." A stronger vehicular presence or one or two more minifigures might have swayed me to a recommendation. Wait for a sale on this one, or better yet, a clearance.

I am so glad that Batman, with a cape no less, looks like he will be available in a polybag set sometime this year. That removes all incentive to buy this set, IMHO, since I don't really care if I have a Catwoman fig.

I got this just for the figs as I'd never bought a Batman set before, but it troubles me that Catwoman rides a purple bike and has purple accents on her outfit. I thought Batwoman rode the purple bike and had the purple outfit and Catwoman was meant to be all black. I'm just basing this on my recollection of the 60s TV show so it could be different in other sources I guess.

I thought this was actually a fun little set. Of course, the figs are sweet. Sure, the traffic light is more than a little lame, and from a cost/value perspective, the pile of boxes is a sham. That said, there's actually a fair amount of playability right out of the box - even I had a lot of fun smashing the catcycle through the crates.

This was my first venture into anything Batman, but it's nice to get the classic blue batman at a low price point. I can understand where some might be upset about the lack of a cape, but I'm not losing sleep over it. It's a slick move by LEGO because this way completists and fig collectors will have to step up and purchase the big boy batcave to get the blue batman w/ cape.

There are two reasons I'm irritated by the lack of cape. One, I classify the jetpack, together with the wings, as a vehicle. On that regard, taking off the jetpack is no different than stepping out of the batmobile or off the batpod. And two, it's part of the character, one of the many defining attributes. If I take off the jetpack, he's incomplete, and as I said in the review, he looks ridiculous. I may contact Lego customer support with the grievance.

cas wrote:There are two reasons I'm irritated by the lack of cape. One, I classify the jetpack, together with the wings, as a vehicle. On that regard, taking off the jetpack is no different than stepping out of the batmobile or off the batpod. And two, it's part of the character, one of the many defining attributes. If I take off the jetpack, he's incomplete, and as I said in the review, he looks ridiculous. I may contact Lego customer support with the grievance.

Pretty sure the wings are his cape. Wasn't there a scene in The Dark Knight where they were talking about his cape being able to stiffen into glider wings with an electric pulse? Plus it seems to be based off the Glide Suit from the videogame, so I don't really see the jetpack as a vehicle, rather a different, specialized suit.

I decided to contact Lego Customer Support about the lack of cape. I used their online system and basically what I've said in this review and thread, but less words. Today, I received a couple of capes in the mail (dark blue and black). Honestly, if I had been turned down on my request, I would've dropped it and moved on. They had no reason in the world to send me a cape, but they did and I am very grateful. Now Batman is complete! A big thank you to Lego and their amazing customer support!

Great review. Although I have not seen or read any of the Batman stuff, I think this is a great set overall. The little traffic light is neat, plus you get a cool little motorcycle. Like others said above, I think the wings are his cape, but he does look better with a cape. I am glad to hear LEGO sent you a few extras. LEGO Customer support has always been #1 for me, every time I contact them I get quick and helpful responses. Another reason why I love LEGO.